Crankless engine



1931. T. L. SHERMAN 1,819,826

CRANKLES S ENGINE Filed Feb. 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w iliwmhq.

8,1931. T. SHERMAN 1,819,826

I CRANKLESS ENGINE Filed Feb. 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I vim/114WPatented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS L. SHERMAN, OFMELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNOR TO MICHELL-CRANK- LESS ENGINESCORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK CRANKLES SENGINE Application filed February 14, 1929. Serial No. 339,951.

1 This invention relates to engines and particularly to engines of thecrankless type, such as that disclosed in- Michell Patent No.

g In the patent referred to there is shown a crankless engine comprisinga shaft on which are mounted two slants or swash plates, each slantcoacting with opposed pistons.

This invention has for its salient object to provide an engine of thecharacter specified so constructed and arranged that the engine shaftand parts carried thereby can be withdrawn from the engine casingwithout disturbing or removing the c linders,

taken substantially on line 22' of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation taken substantially on line3-3 of Fig. .1'

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but partly broken away, showing aslightly modified form of construction.

The invention briefiy described consists of a crankless engine of theopposed piston type, in which the shaft and operative drivingconnections between the shaft and the plstons are so constructed andarranged that the shaft'and parts carried thereby can be removed fromtheengine casing without disturbing or removing the otherparts of theengine.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional elevation of In the form of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, there is shown a casingcomprising a main casing section 10- having a central portion A and endportions B and C.

The central portion A of the casing section 10 has cylinders 11 and 12formed therein and also has bearings 13- and 14 for the engine shaft 15.The shaft 15 extends. through the sections B and C and bearings 20 and21 at the ends of the sections B and C .are provided for the shaft.

Each of the cylinders 11 and 12 has a pair of opposed pistons 22 and 23mounted therein. Each piston has a rod 25 connected thereto, on which ismounted a yoke 26 having pivoted. thereto slipper bearing elements 27and 28 which coact with opposite sides of a slant 30 mounted on theshaft 15. The

outer ends of the rods" 25 are mounted in bearings 31 formed at theouter ends of the casing sections B and C.

The engine construction above described is fully illustrated in Patent1,613,116, above referred to, and the particular details of the cylinderplstons and operative connections between the pistons and the shaft formno part of the present invention and need not be further described.

The shaft 15 rotates in the four bearings 13, 14, 20 and 21, and each ofthese bearings consists of a pair of bearing blocks 32 and 33. I Ifdesired, the bearings 13 and 14 may be omitted and a central bearin 35,shown in dotted lines in Fig. -1, may Te substituted therefor.

The central portion A of. the engine casing is normally closed by acover plate 36 and covers 37 and 38 are rovided for the end portions Band C o the engine casing. Since each of the bearings is split and thesections A, B andC of the casing are open at the top, it will be evidentthat the shaft 15 and the slants 30 can be lifted vertically from theengine without in any way disturbing or removing the other parts of theengine, such as the pistons, yokes, etc. Asa matter of fact, recessesare provided in the ends of-the centralportion A and end por- "0 tions Band C for receiving the bearings for the shaft 15, so that the bearingsand shaft can be lifted bodily from the lower part of the engine casing.

The construction shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 is similar to thatillustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 but differs therefrom in that the cylinders40 and 41 are not formed integral with the central portion A of theengine casing but are supported at their ends in transverse framemembers 42 and 43. Th'elower portion 44 of the central portion A of theengine casing may be formed integral with the end portions B and C ormay be made separate and be connected thereto in any suitable manner.The shaft 15 and parts carried thereby can be removed from the casingconstruction shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 in' the same manner as abovedescribed in connec tion with the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 1- to 4 inclusive.

From the foregoing description it will be clear that by reason of theconstruction described, the engine shaft and parts carried thereby canbe readily and quickly removed from the casing by removing the coversfor the central and end portions of the casing and then lifting theengine shaft and bearings vertically from the casing.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have beenparticularly shown and described, it will be understood that theinvention is capable of modification, and that changes in theconstructlon and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts maybe made without departing from Y cylinders disposed parallel to theshaft, a

the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the followingclaims.

What I claim is: i

1. An engine comprising a shaft, a plurality of cylinders arrangedparallel to the shaft and having their axes and the axis of the shaftdisposed in a single plane, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder,and op-- erative driving connections between said pistons and saidshaft, said connections being unobstructed in a direction at rightangles to said plane, said shaft, driving connections, cylinders andpistons being th'us so constructed and arranged that the shaft and partscarried thereby can be removed from the casing without disturbing thecylinders or piston. i

2. An engine comprising a casing having a plurality of verticallyremovable shaftbearings, a shaft mounted in said bearings,

swash plate on the shaft pistons in'said cylinders, and operativedriving connections between the swash plate and pistons, saidconnections including members carried by the pistons, slidably engagingthe swash plate and so constructed and arranged that the shaft and partscarried thereby can be re-v moved from the casing without obstructionand without disturbing the pistons.

3. An engine comprising a casing havin a plurality of verticallyTemovable shat bearings, a shaft mounted in said bearings, a swash plateon the shaft, a pair of cylinders disposed parallelto and on oppositesides of the shaft, pistons in said cylinders, and verticallyunobstructed, slidable operative driving connections between the swashplate and pistons, said connections being so constructed and arrangedthat the shaft and parts carried thereby can be removed vertically fromthe casing without obstruction and without disturbing the pistons.

4. An engine comprising a casing comprising a section open at the top,vertically removable bearings carried by said sections a shaft mountedin said bearings, a pair of cylinders in the casing-and disposed onopposite sides of the shaft, opposed pistons in said cylinders, swashplates on said shaft,

ders, a swash plate on said shaft and connections between said swashplate and pistons, opento permit removal of the plate and shaft.

THOMAS L. SHERMAN.-

